Sin City
by itsu-sual
Summary: A look into Megatron's life in Kaon, set in IDW's "Megatron Origins". Slash in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
Set in IDW's "Megatron Origins".  
There will be slash in later chapters, as a warning, but none in this chapter.

* * *

When Rumble and Frenzy had suggested "going underground", Megatron didn't think they had meant it quite so literally.

The journey to Kaon from the mines had been difficult enough with the officials still after them. Getting into the city had required some fast talking and quick thinking from the two small brothers, and Megatron was sure that he'd seen credits being handed over stealthily out of the corner of his optics, but now, at least, they were in. Deep, down at the very bases of the towering skyscrapers that made up the shabby vertical city, where the crooks and criminals felt safe in the dim, smoky lights, the three felt oddly at home.

Now Rumble and Frenzy were gesturing excitedly at a run down bolts shop with a crooked and sooty sign plastered above it, at the base of one of the more suburban skyscrapers. The two ran in happily, while Megatron walked in somewhat more cautiously.

"What can I get y - oh," the femme behind the counter's expression fell as soon as she saw Rumble and Frenzy, "it's you two. You come for my basement again, ain't ya." The twins nodded happily, chattering up at her with mockingly overblown greetings and praises. Her plating was green and bulky, and in bad need of repair - not a pretty Cybertronian at all, Megatron mused to himself, and he wondered if that was rust at the corner of her foot. She ignored them, and instead eyed Megatron warily.

"Who's this?" she grunted, nodding her head at him.

"My name is Megatron," he replied impassively, staring at her coldly.

"You sharing the room with these runts?" she said. The silver miner nodded. "Pity ya, I really do," she chuckled, then picked up at a metal crate filled with rags from the corner of the room and gestured to follow her back outside. She led them into a small, dank alley at the side of the shop, and kicked a dusty grate away to the side, revealing some haphazard steps going down into the ground and under the building. Beckoning to follow her, the twins skipped down the steps lightly, while Megatron hung back again. The steps led to a narrow corridor, lit by a flickering light-bulb in dire need of replacement. At the end were two doors - the left covered by a shabby brown curtain, the right with its grey curtain drawn back.

"You'll be taking the right one this time, boys," she said to the two smaller mechs, then handed them the metal crate filled with rags. "Only one berth, so you two will have to go back to sharing this box, m'afraid. Big guy like Megatron here ain't gonna fit in a crate." The mech in question had wandered into the room and was inspecting it with vague distaste - the berth looked wobbly, the walls were covered in concrete (a sure sign the metal behind had rusted to the point of being a health hazard), and there was barely enough room to stretch. And underground, _again_. Megatron had at least hoped that after leaving the mines he'd get a chance to live above the ground.

The landlady seemed to notice his disgusted expression. "Get what you pay for, see. Only a credit a week. Pay slag, get slag. Heh…" In the dank light, Megatron noticed how old she was as she rubbed at her tired joints - her paint was peeling and cracked in several places, and her face plates were worn and dented. At this point, she left them to unpack their few possessions and limped back upstairs to her shop, muttering to herself about nothing in particular.

"So whatcha think boss?" Rumble brought Megatron's attention back to the present again, smacking the larger's knee joints amicably.

"It'll do for now," he replied to the tiny mech. Then, he made his way over to his berth in one stride, tucking his small sack of possessions underneath it. Megatron sat down on the berth slowly, exhausted from playing hide and seek with officials and watched Rumble and Frenzy bicker about whose possessions were whose, where to put their makeshift-bed, and a million other trivialities that amused him for the moment. His optics drifted around the room for a while, past the door, and to the brown grey covering the room opposite theirs. A slight shuffling noise came from behind it.

He interrupted the brawling twins suddenly in his clear, powerful voice. "Who are our neighbours?"

"Eh…I dunno, we used to be in that room, last time we was here," Frenzy said, releasing his grip around Rumble's neck and letting him fall to the floor. Rumble kicked him violently, then picked up where his twin left off. "There was this crazy couple in this room. Always yellin' and slag. I can tell it ain't them in that room, cause we haven't heard anythin' bein' smashed yet."

As if in answer to Megatron's question, the curtain of the left room opened just enough to make way for a cloaked figure to pass through it soundlessly. The cloak was tatty and old, like everything else in this part of Kaon, but it covered the mech enough that the three could not see its face or body, or even its gender - only white feet peeking out at the bottom with high, blue turbine heels, bright, clean and a huge contrast to the dirt around them. It paused for a moment, as if in greeting or by way of introducing itself, then turned quickly and strode down the hall purposefully to the stairs leading to the street above.

The three mechs peered around their doorway to watch after it, full of curiosity. Frenzy and Rumble stood open mouthed for a moment, while Megatron frowned deeply. They were silent for a while as they heard the grate being shoved back over the top of the stairs, and heard the turbine heels clicking down the alley into the evening.

"Primus and the pit! Did you see those _shoulders_? Wider than Megatron's!" Frenzy sniggered to himself, earning a rough shove from Rumble for being too loud.

"Where the pit are they going this time anyway? It's nearly the night cycle!" Rumble said, more quietly and cautiously than his brother in case there were other residents in the left room.

"They weren't shoulders," Megatron said suddenly, and the twins looked up to see him rubbing at his chin in thought, red optics wide as if he had suddenly had an idea. "They were wings."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I think you can all probably guess who the neighbours are...

* * *

Megatron's opinions of his new home in Kaon hadn't improved during the night. The berth was as uncomfortable as it was wobbly, and it creaked loudly as if threatening to collapse under his weight every time he moved. He hadn't recharged for even a nanoklik - not that he wanted to, since he was still nervous and on guard about killing that guard outside the mines. The slightest sound put him on edge - his spark nearly jumped out of its casing when he heard a violent coughing fit come from the other room and he realized there were other mechs living there too. Faintly, he thought he could make out the sound of a pipe dripping from his neighbour's room.

It came to the last few cycles of night, and his thoughts were as turbulent as they had been the first cycle he lay down. While Frenzy and Rumble lay curled together in their metal crate, nestled into the scraps of rags, Megatron's mind was stuck replaying the scene where he killed that guard, the words of the Senator, his fellow miner lying dead on the ground, the disgusted expressions of those snobby Autobot officials seeing the grubby, low-class miners for the first time…how easily he killed that guard…how unjust, that those very same officials were probably safely nestled in their grand mansions by now, while he was stuck in this freezing cold slaghole with his circuits rattling and chattering in an attempt to warm himself.

The grate out in the alley scraped against the ground, and he froze, immediately alert and on guard.

Cautiously, he stood as silently as he could - wincing when the berth squeaked loudly - and peered around his grey curtain that served for a door, now pulled closed. With relief, he found that the person walking down into the underground apartment was the same cloaked neighbour that he had seen earlier - not an official to come and turn him in to the Kaon prisons. They were walking down the narrow corridor as if their feet were in great pain, limping slightly. Curious, Megatron thought to himself. Their cloak was wrapped tightly around them, and Megatron could see now that the mech was definitely not broad-shouldered as the twins had suggested, but that they were indeed a flier.

Stumbling to their own brown curtain, the flier seemed to look directly at him for a moment from under the cloak, before pushing their way into their chamber. Megatron stood and listened for a while - very quietly, he could hear faint whispering. Three voices; two deep, all of them hoarse and ragged, and too quiet to make out what they were saying. The silver giant stood stock still, waiting for a long time, as the whispering died away, and he could see the shadows of one figure moving around the room completing various tasks. As stealthily as he could, Megatron crept out from his room, into the narrow corridor, and peered through a small gap in the brown curtain covering the room. The shadows of the standing figure played on the brown, lit up, almost yellow from an unknown light source in the left room.

"Can I help you?" a hoarse voice suddenly said, and Megatron jumped despite himself.

"How did you tell?" he asked, surprised, and opening the curtain just a bit more.

The left room was just as shabby as his own, sparsely furnished and with the same concrete walls. A lamp was sat near a small crate, on which was rested a broken and cracked mirror - in front of it kneeled the hooded figure, rubbing under the cloak at their face with a scrap of material. On the furthest side was a berth, piled with blankets - moving ever so slightly, Megatron noticed, and realized the other two voices must have been whoever was underneath those blankets.

"I could see you in the mirror," the cloaked figure answered. Even hearing its voice, Megatron could not tell its gender - too masculine a voice to be a femme, too feminine to be a mech, androgynous and well-disguised through its rasping tones. "Can I help you?" it repeated, not bothering to look at him directly.

"I thought I should introduce myself," Megatron said, slightly apologetically for his earlier curiosity. He reached out his hand. "My name is Megatron."

It turned and looked at him cautiously, then stood up and took his hand, shaking it. "My stage name is Starlight. That will do for now." Megatron nodded, satisfied, then looked over curiously at the pile of blankets which were now wheezing and shivering. Starlight followed his gaze. "My two brothers. You may call them Skylight and Thunderlight."

Then, it turned back around and set to its task at the makeshift table. "I would not tell others my real name so easily, if I were you, Megatron," it continued, and for a while the silver mech debated whether the tone had been kind or scornful.

"I'll keep that in mind," he grunted, leaning against the doorframe. He looked around the room again - ah, there was the pipe that had been dripping earlier. "Can you tell me anything about a gladiator called Clench?" he abruptly asked, breaking the silence. Starlight paused, and looked at him in the mirror.

"He is…a client of mine. He is looking for the miners that were in that incident with the officials - wants to pit them against each other. Entertainment for the rich, you could say," Starlight answered in a sing-song tone, as if it were thinking aloud. Starlight grabbed a piece of shrapnel off the ground and scribbled something on it quickly. "You can find him here. Go today. He'll move again in a few megacycles," it passed the shrapnel to Megatron. On it was written an address.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I must leave again," Starlight stood, wrapping his cloak around him tighter, allowing Megatron a small glimpse of blue hands the same colour as the turbine heels Starlight was equipped with, "please do not disturb my brothers."

Starlight left, still stumbling slightly down the corridor and up the stairs, into the dusty Kaon daylight. Megatron stared after it for a while, intrigued - until suddenly he heard Rumble and Frenzy bickering again.

"Stop fighting," he snapped at them as he walked back into his own room. "We've got things to do. I have obtained Clench's address."

"Already?" Rumble squeaked, poking his head up from the metal crater. Frenzy's head followed soon after. "Didn't you recharge at all, boss?"

"Couldn't sleep," grunted Megatron. "Now get up, and help me get to the base of fifth tower, block alpha, section two." As the twins scrambled out of their bed, stretching and squabbling quietly, the silver titan reflected that things were going more smoothly than he had dared to hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I didn't really know how to characterize Clench since he's not that big a figure in the comic, so I took a few liberties with him. Reviews and opinions are welcomed!

* * *

Frenzy insisted on clinging to Megatron's leg. Rumble insisted on riding on his shoulder. And Megatron was _not_ pleased. It wasn't the weight of the twins clinging onto him - they were light enough to a strong miner like him. It wasn't that he was giving them a free ride, or that they were wasting his energy supplies. But the strange looks from pimps and prostitutes in Kaon's red light district were truly embarrassing.

"Get off," he snarled suddenly, kicking his leg to rid himself of Frenzy and hurling Rumble off his shoulder like a ball. The two fell off unceremoniously, scowling up at him.

"Doesn't matter anyway, big guy. We're here," huffed the purple twin, pointing at a door leading underground. Underground! Again! Megatron cursed and stormed towards it, and was met with a sour looking mech blocking the door.

"What do you want?" grunted the mech behind an orange visor.

"I'm looking for Clench," Megatron said, more hostile than was technically necessary. Frenzy and Rumble hid behind his legs. The sour mech eyed them up suspiciously, then beckoned for them to follow him.

"Motormaster, keep guard for me, I'm taking these geeks to Clench," he yelled across the wide hallway, and the named mech sulkily took the other's guard post. The four of them trooped through an endless maze of corridors, before finally reaching a large purple door. The sour mech thumped on it a few times; then a face peered out through a gap in the door, inspecting the visitors. Nodding, the door opened, and Megatron, Rumble and Frenzy were shoved inside.

"Visitors, eh?" boomed a cruel voice from the centre of the large, violet room. A purple and black mech - Clench - lay on a heated berth as two scruffy and recharge-deprived femmes polished, waxed and buffed at his armour frantically. He sat up and stretched his arms out in welcome. "And how can I help you three fine gentlemechs?"

"My name is Megatron," said the silver titan, "I have heard you are recruiting gladiators."

"Ah, excellent! Yes, I think I know you," Clench said jovially, walking over and leaning in far too close for Megatron's comfort. "You're the _murderer_. All my ex-miners talked about you. I'm sure you'll fit right in," the gladiator chuckled darkly - again that cruel glint in his visor.

"I'm not interested in bloodshed," Megatron growled.

"Oh, of course not," Clench continued condescendingly, settling himself back down on his birth and clicking his fingers to signal the two femmes to keep polishing. "Well, let me tell you this big guy. Training is in the first half of the day cycles. Then if we want you to fight, you come back for the first half of the night cycles. You don't get paid until you win. I'll put you with the heavyweights - yes, a big guy like you oughta go in with the pros, don't you think?"

"Fine," Megatron nodded.

"And a word of advice - even if you aren't interested in bloodshed, they sure as hell are. You better be prepared, _Megatron_," Clench sneered. "Morning training has finished for the day. Come back tomorrow if you aren't a robo-chicken. Any questions?"

"Yeah…" Megatron rubbed his helmet thoughtfully, "what can you tell me about Starlight?"

Clench's optic band widened before he burst into raucous laughter. "That there's a bit personal. Very up front. I like that in a gladiator," he grinned. "Starlight is a pretty little dancer - stick around in the red light district 'til night and you might see the peepshow. Favourite of mine, that Starlight. Barely a year off the assembly line." The two scruffy femmes scrunched their faceplates in distaste and jealousy, while Clench leaned forward, staring at his visitors intensely.

"What's it to you?"

Megatron chuckled. "Recommended by a friend, you could say. I'll be here for training tomorrow. Thank you for your time." With that, Megatron turned, ushering Rumble and Frenzy out with him. They threaded their way through the maze of corridors in silence, until finally they reached the entrance up to street level again. Motormaster and the sour mech were brawling in front of the door, and almost took out Frenzy in the process, but Megatron dragged the small mech away before Frenzy could attempt to yell at them.

"Who's Starlight?" Rumble asked as soon as they were a safe distance away from the underground complex.

"Our neighbour that we saw yesterday. Came home and left again before you runts were even awake," Megatron said absently, lost in his own processor. "There are two others in there. Thunderlight and Skylight."

"Those are femme names," Frenzy snorted, kicking at the dusty metal on the ground as he walked.

"Those aren't their real names. Perhaps they are hiding something too," Megatron chuckled. Inwardly, he was pleased with the new revelations he had discovered about his mysterious neighbours - the wrappings were slowly peeling away. A dancer - that explained the stumbling this morning, Starlight's feet must have been hurting from dancing all night. Clench was a client - perhaps there was something in this connection that could be exploited. But only a year off the assembly line? That had surprised the silver giant, to say the least. Only a year and already Starlight's vocalizer was shot. Only a year and already they were more tangled in the sleazy underworld of Kaon than he was - and Megatron was _millennia_ old.

"So what are Thunderlight and Skylight like then?" Rumble interrupted Megatron's musings. "Cloaky and mysterious too?"

"Pretty much," Megatron rumbled, looking down at his small companions. "They were in bed covered in blankets - lot of coughing and wheezing. Perhaps they are flawed. They are Starlight's brothers. I was asked not to disturb them - I trust you will keep your bickering to acceptable volumes for our neighbours' sakes."

"Are they sick?" Frenzy asked, wrinkling his noseplates. "Is it contagious? I didn't survive those pit-spawned mines just to get sick now, boss."

Megatron shrugged and retreated into his thoughts. Eventually they came out from the red light district, and into a district that Rumble said was famous for smuggling. The twins decided to give Megatron an impromptu sight-seeing tour of Kaon's underworld, since Megatron had spent thousands of years stuck off-planet mining, though their tourist did not pay very much attention. Over there was a district famous for drugs and poisons, past the ninth skyscraper block was a district famous for crooks and criminals (all available for hire, at a price) - Megatron gathered soon enough that if something was illegal, sordid or immoral, anyone could find it at the bases of Kaon's skyscrapers.

Before long, however, Megatron grew weary and dragged them back to their underground home. The two tour guides whined and moaned all the way about how unappreciated they were, to which Megatron replied "either shove it up your tailpipes or make yourselves useful and get jobs as tour guides then."

Despite the creaky berth, the silver giant collapsed into it with gratitude and fell into recharge instantly - he had not slept for decacycles after all. Frenzy and Rumble watched their eccentric leader for a while, toying with various plans to prank him. Many plans were marched through - though Rumble, being the more cautious and sensible one (marginally), reasoned that almost all of them ended in certain death by Megatron's hands.

And then they heard the coughing of Starlight's brothers from the other room.

They glanced at each other with a wicked glint in their visors…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Thank you so much to everyone who has left a review so far! Please keep leaving me comments, I never know how I'm doing otherwise since I find it very hard to judge my own writing and I don't have a beta reader.

* * *

"Sky?" a dazed voice said softly.

"What?" came the disgruntled reply, muffled under several blankets.

"There's a little blue man standing on me, Sky."

"You're hallucinating, TC. It's just the fever, go back to sleep, little brother won't be back for cycles yet," Skylight mumbled groggily, pulling the blankets further over himself.

"Oh…ok," Thunderlight said, optics dim, continuing to stare up at his 'hallucination' with a lazy smile. He coughed, and the blue mech above him shrank back out of the way. "I didn't know hallucinations felt heavy."

With this, Skylight ripped the blankets off himself and stared upwards, optics off-colour from his illness. "WHO THE SLAG ARE YOU?" he roared in surprise, despite his hoarse and croaky vocalizer, at the two tiny mechs sitting on their pile of blankets.

"Your friendly neighbours!" the purple and blue one said cheerfully, holding out his hand.

"We're Rumble and Frenzy," the red one said with an equally large Cheshire-cat grin.

Skylight and Thunderlight sat up at the same time, and both immediately wished they hadn't. The two moved their hands to their heads, groaning in pain, while Rumble and Frenzy stared at them curiously. Skylight was purple and black. Thunderlight was blue, white and with a few hints of red. Both of them had large wings, tangled together from the position they had been lying in, and their armour was dull and faded. Frenzy stared at the dull colours worriedly.

"Are you contagious?" he asked, point blank.

Skylight and Thunderlight both frowned. "How rude," Skylight replied haughtily, "we're not contagious! We are suffering from malnutrition."

"Why doncha eat then?" Rumble asked, in a slightly more polite tone than his brother. Thunderlight snorted indignantly, frowning deeper still.

"We can't afford proper energon, so we live off poor mech's fuel and whatever scraps Starlight can sneak us. Do you know how expensive it is to feed three fliers? Me and Sky here got fuel poisoning from that filth, and we ain't been well ever since."

"Why doesn't Starlight buy you proper energon then?" Frenzy said, bewildered.

The two fliers looked at each other sadly. "He…he tries his best. He's a great brother, Starlight. Works all during the day and all during the night - dunno how he does it, never recharges for longer than half a cycle, the fool…scrapes just enough credits to feed us all, always gives us the best share…" Skylight muttered.

"Gonna get sick too one of these days, if he keeps it up," Thunderlight sighed, optics dimming in melancholy.

"Why don't you go to hospital? Then you can all work," Rumble piped up.

"Hah!" Skylight shrieked, clapping his hands in ironic amusement. "You ever been to one of those Autobot hospitals? Costs more credits than it takes to live here in this slaghole for a whole megacycle just to get a bed in there!"

"Starlight tried getting us the medicine, he really did," Thunderlight grunted, staring down at his hands, "but he got sold a bunch of slag, just made us even more ill. Won't risk it after that. Things would be ok if we could work, but we can barely move our legs for lack of energon."

"What does he do?" Frenzy asked, fascinated.

The two fliers drew themselves up proudly, and at the same time, gave different answers. "He's an exotic dancer," Skylight said arrogantly, while Thunderlight turned up his nose and answered "He's an academy scientist". Rumble and Frenzy blinked behind their visors.

"So…nerd by day, whore by night?" Rumble suggested. Before he could realize his mistake, the two fliers cried out in fury and pulled a laser gun each out from under the blankets, firing at him without hesitation. Fortunately for the small mech, the guns were as drained of power as the two fliers holding them, and nothing but a little singing and being knocked backwards was done to Rumble.

"How dare you! _How dare you_ talk about Starlight like that!" Skylight screeched.

"Dancers and whores are completely different! Starlight's never been touched like _that_ in his short little life!" Thunderlight bellowed.

"Yeah! 'Look but don't touch' and all that!"

"And he's not a nerd! It took a lot of hard work and bulling his way through for him to get into that snobby academy, do you know how many mechs apply for apprenticeships there every cycle?"

"Never even got to go to the flier academy like he shoulda! It closed down just three cycles after he was completed! Had to teach him everything we knew!" Skylight continued indignantly. "Why, we even - !" He stopped abruptly and froze. Thunderlight followed his gaze and did the same, both of their expressions falling. Hesitantly, Rumble and Frenzy looked around as well, to see a very displeased Starlight standing in the doorway, with some sort of strange, foreign weapon neither of the two small mechs had ever seen before. Pointed right at their spark chambers.

"What," Starlight began, and though they could not see his face under the cloak they could tell he said it through gritted dental plates, "are you doing disturbing my brothers?"

"We - we didn't mean any harm! We're sorry!" squeaked the twins in unison, bowing down on the blankets and grovelling. "Please don't tell Megatron! He'll rip us to bits!" Starlight hesitated for a moment, then in the silence came the dreadful noise of his weapons powering up.

"Why shouldn't I?" Starlight said, both of his brothers wincing at the deadly tone.

"Come on, Star, they didn't mean to…" Thunderlight mumbled cautiously. Starlight turned to face him and the blue flier shut up quickly, looking back down at the blankets.

"Um…oh Primus," Frenzy squeaked, then shot up as if he had an idea. "Energon! We've got two cubes of energon left! Thunderlight and Skylight can have them if you don't kill us!" Rumble added "or tell Megatron" from behind him.

The cloaked flier considered for a moment, then lowered his weapons. "Very well. Go and get the cubes, and I will let you off this time." The two tiny mechs wasted no time in scrambling off the bed and running into their own room, returning faster than they thought possible with the two glowing cubes. Starlight nodded a thank you, taking them and passing them to his two invalid brothers, before shooing the two tiny mechs out.

Sighing with relief, Rumble and Frenzy hurried back into their room - and were met with an equally precarious situation. Two red optics glowed from the dark corner of the room where the berth was; Megatron was awake. And growling softly at them.

"Uh…so…how much did you hear boss?" Rumble gulped.

"Every word," came the deep, rumbling voice from within the darkness. The two small mechs decided now would be a good time to escape, and bolted out of the door, through the narrow corridor and into the Kaon evening. Megatron chuckled darkly to himself, pleased with how well he had intimidated them - in truth, he had not minded that they'd disturbed the two sick brothers, since their conversation had brought new revelations to him. He lay back down on the berth, listening intently, trying to make out what his neighbours were saying.

"Slag, that's good stuff," Skylight said with surprise.

"Don't get used to it," came the delicate, scratched voice of Starlight, softer than his brother's. Faintly, Megatron could hear Thunderlight pleading with Starlight to take a sip of the refined energon, or at least to recharge for a cycle or two, but since the youngest brother did not answer Megatron could only assume he was ignoring Thunderlight or shaking his head.

"They were ok, those two," Skylight mumbled thoughtfully.

"You don't have to be suspicious of _everyone_, you know, Screamer," Thunderlight grumbled. Screamer? Was that Starlight's real name, or yet another false nickname? Megatron frowned to himself.

"It was kind of nice having some neighbours to talk to," continued the purple flier happily in his hoarse voice. "Can they come in more often?"

There was a long pause, accompanied by the clinking of objects as Starlight did his various chores around the small chamber. Then, he sighed, "Alright. Just…recharge for as many cycles as you can. Don't let them talk you into doing anything. Stay under the blankets. Charge up your guns again just in c-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Thunderlight laughed, "what are you, our mother-creator? Anyone listening would think you're the older sibling!" Megatron smiled to himself at that; Starlight really did act far older than his big brothers despite being only a year old. He drifted lazily back into recharge, allowing his neighbours some privacy.

Before long, the now familiar click-clacking of white and blue turbine heels passed through the hall and into the night to begin the dance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Jab. Uppercut. Jab, jab again. Tear from left, dodge, fall back. Duck, punch low. Jab. Uppercut. Punch high.

Megatron's sparring partner fell easily, energon streaming from his nose and dented all over. The "constructicons" as Clench had called them came to pick up the knocked out mech, chuckling and jeering at him (even though he was unconscious) about being defeated by a newcomer. Megatron cracked his knuckle-joints and stretched, watching idly as they dragged his victim to the repair bay. He had the uncomfortable feeling in the back of his processor that he'd done some permanent damage, but he quashed it quickly, reasoning that he'd be _killing_ again soon enough, never mind damaging.

"Good job, big guy," Clench boomed from across the training hall. "Now drop and give me five hundred transform-ups."

The silver titan scowled at Clench, but dropped down and did as he was instructed, transforming to and from his tank alt-mode. After twenty, he began to relax, becoming lost in his thoughts as the transform-ups became automatic. How easily that mech had fallen, his very first sparring partner - he supposed people around Kaon were getting desperate if pathetic people like that were flocking to Clench just to try and earn a few credits in the battle ring. Not that he'd earned even half a cube of petrol yet himself; payment came from the opponents killed. Clench's morbid rules were "if you kill them, your prizes are all of their possessions". Inwardly, he gave himself a hollow, ironic laugh - if the mechs were all desperate enough to be fighting here, then none of them would _have_ any credits or possessions worth scrounging from. No, the real money in the gladiator ring came from the illegal transmissions and tapes, the tickets to the show - all of which went to the ring leader. Clench.

Said mech suddenly slammed his foot against Megatron's back. "Is that the best you can do? My femmes can transform faster than that!" he cackled. Megatron growled, transforming into his alt-mode so fast that Clench was knocked off balance and slammed into the floor. "Why, you - !" he squawked indignantly. Megatron transformed again, standing up to his full, gargantuan height.

"Five hundred _and one_," he grunted down at the head gladiator, curling his lip components. And he hadn't even needed to use his cooling systems.

Clench jumped up and stood to his own height, eye-level with Megatron. "You better mind yourself, newcomer," snarled Clench, "don't you forget who's in charge of this gig. I can have you taken apart right here and sold in pieces."

"Yes, _sir_," Megatron sneered, full of sarcasm. His optics were gleaming and he smiled with twisted joy despite himself - how wonderful it was to challenge Clench, to feel so in control for the first time!

"If you're so full of yourself," Clench roared, "how about we see you in the arena tonight, eh? Newcomer against three heavyweights! Now, that'll be a show people will _pay_ to see!" he laughed sadistically.

"Excellent," Megatron replied coolly as Clench stormed out of the room, preparing to announce the night's show and make the necessary arrangements. Suddenly, an alarm rang - training was finished for the morning cycles. Over crackled speakers, the Constructicons announced the next address for the training halls; the afternoon cycles were spent taking them down and rebuilding them elsewhere to avoid authorities. The show ring was slightly more permanent, staying in place for 5 cycles before being taken down and rebuilt.

He and the other gladiators marched out of the building into the weapons district of ground-level Kaon. The light was dusty and bright outside, poking around the tips of the gigantic skyscrapers towering above them, and Megatron strained his optics against the light. An afternoon free to himself…Rumble and Frenzy were out job-hunting (or causing havoc - it was the same thing to them). Skylight and Thunderlight would be asleep now, as always, and Starlight would be at the science academy in a much more upmarket district. Though he would have liked to spy on the mysterious flier, he would be met with suspicious stares in such a classy area of Kaon; the academy was likely to be heavily guarded as well.

Nothing for it - he headed back home and decided to recharge before tonight's battle.

He bought four cubes of cheap-but-filtered energon on the way with his very last credits. If he won tonight, he would have more to pay the landlady with. If he was defeated - well, he wouldn't need credits anymore if he was dead, he reasoned. The grate shoved aside, he descended the crooked steps into the underground apartment.

"Frenzy? Rumble? Is that you?" a weak voice called out from the end of the corridor.

Megatron paused, then walked slowly down the hallway, drawing back the brown curtain of the left door. "Starlight would not be pleased if he knew you were awake," he said gently. Two pairs of dim optics stared at him curiously.

"You're Megatron, aren't you?" Thunderlight said suddenly, pointing at him with a wobbly hand. The silver mech nodded. "You're ok then. Starlight said you were. Where are Rumble and Frenzy?"

"Out job hunting," Megatron said, daring to move closer inside the room.

"Frag," Skylight grunted, "we were hoping they'd be around to talk to us. It's so _boring_ recharging all day. I hate being sick."

"Will you talk to us?" Thunderlight said eagerly, with pleading optics. Megatron laughed softly.

"Alright then, but not for long. I have to be ready to fight this evening," he said, seating himself on the floor in front of their bed.

"Ahhh, he's a gladiator," Skylight said to his brother. "I miss being able to watch the fights…it would be ok even watching it on a tape or a transmission, but we've got nothing to play it on. Can't afford it anyway I guess."

Megatron took out the four energon cubes from his subspace compartments then, placing them on the ground delicately so as not to spill them. Skylight and Thunderlight's optics widened, full of hunger and longing for the pink liquid contained in them. "How…how can you afford those?" they whispered in awe.

"I can't," Megatron replied with a dark smile, "I'm completely broke now. You may have one each, if you will answer some questions I have for you. Starlight may have the last one when he comes home from the academy." The two twins looked to each other, full of suspicion but desperately hungry.

"Alright," Thunderlight said with a nod, leaning forward to scoop up two of the cubes and passing one to Skylight. "What do you want to know?"

"Hum," Megatron sipped at his own cube thoughtfully. "You called Starlight 'Screamer' last night. Is that his real name?"

Thunderlight froze, horrified that their neighbour had overheard their words, while Skylight burst out laughing and answered "Primus no! He'd offline himself if it was his real name! It's just a nickname we used to tease him with. He's used to it now, it's not as fun anymore…more of an affectionate thing now I'd say."

"Then what is his real name? What are your real names?" Megatron questioned, optics focused on them intently.

"Ah…" Skylight grinned with a sly glint to his optics, "since you've given us this energon, we can't _not_ answer you, but we can't tell you that either. How about if I tell you that 'Screamer' is derived from his real name, and the nickname 'Warper' comes from my real name, and that makes Thunderlight here 'Cracker'. Satisfied?"

"Good enough, 'Warper'," Megatron grinned. His smile was unnerving, though he had not meant it to be so. "Next question. Why does he wear that cloak?"

"Because he's slagging _gorgeous_," Thunderlight laughed, and Skylight howled with laughter along with him. Megatron stared at them, slightly bewildered and unsure if they were joking or serious. Thunderlight straightened up, coughing a little from the exertion. "No, really," he choked, "Starlight is a handsome little thing, much prettier than us two. He doesn't want to be recognized by any of the mechs in underground Kaon - they'd all know him from the bar he works at. Pretty unmistakable face. Then there's upper Kaon - doesn't want to be seen down here by any of the academy 'bots either, he'd lose his position faster than you could blink."

"I see," the silver mech said softly, rubbing his chin. "Does he look at all like you two?"

"Eh, same base schematics," Skylight waved the question off, sipping at his energon. "Slightly thinner, slightly smaller - more androgynous, you could say. Coloured differently - his face is lovely too, it's no wonder he's so popular. Oh, and his wings are a bit different of course, cockpit's a bit more slender than our geometric ones."

"Excellent. Then I come to my final question…" Megatron paused. "…what cycle is it?"

Thunderlight sniggered. "Last of the afternoon. You'd better get going to your fight, Megatron."

"Indeed. If Rumble and Frenzy turn up, tell them I expect them to be there," he grunted, standing and finishing the last of his energon cube. "And make sure Starlight drinks the last cube - Primus knows he needs it as much as you two."

"Will do," Skylight gave him a wobbly salute, grinning. "Thanks for the energon. Pleasure doing business with you." With that, Megatron let our an indignant snort of air through his vents, and wandered down the corridor and out into the first cycle of the evening to face his destiny in Clench's arena.

"Do you know," Thunderlight said pensively when his footsteps were out of hearing, and Skylight mirrored the sly smile on his face, "I think our neighbour has a crush on our darling little brother."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

This chapter is slightly more adult, as a warning. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

It had taken most of the night cycles when he finally checked his chronometer - but as it happened, it had all gone by in a blur of punches and scratches, spilled energon spraying everywhere, illegal weaponry being hurled in his direction and coming shockingly close to slicing him to pieces. Now the three mechs lay groaning on the ground, and all the crowd were cheering around him as he stood, dazed by his victory. They were crying for him to finish it, chanting that familiar slogan, 'til all are one'. How pathetic the three heavyweight gladiators looked, lying on the arena ground in pools of their own energon.

Megatron wondered of the necessity to kill his enemies - but then came the memory that he was broke, and wouldn't be able to feed himself, let alone attempt to offer charity towards Rumble, Frenzy, or the three fliers, if he did not kill them. With his mind made up, he dimmed his optics and struck the final blows. Horrific rattles, then cold sighs, and the three gladiator's life forces were extinguished once and for all.

"MEGATRON IS THE WINNER!" Clench bellowed through the speaker system, and the crowd went absolutely wild. The victor shuddered, feeling suddenly cold and eerily haunted by the lifeless bodies lying around him. Then Megatron noticed two tiny figures escaping through the crowd and dashing towards him excitedly.

"You did it, boss!" Rumble yelled, jumping up and down with joy.

"Yes…I guess I did," Megatron mumbled wearily. "Do me a favour and bring me the parts of those three that can be sold around the ground districts." Frenzy and Rumble squeaked, chattering excitedly about the match and not seeming to mind doing Megatron's manual work in their giddiness from watching the carnage. Clench came up to him, arms outstretched.

"Well, well, it seems I underestimated you, Megatron!" he said warmly. "You're a raging success! Why, this is the biggest crowd I've had in a whole stellar cycle! Good job!"

The silver titan nodded absently. "Payment…need my payment," he gasped over his cooling systems. Clench nodded and brought out a data pad from a subspace pocket.

"I took their credits before the match, same as I would have done yours if you weren't broke. They're all loaded onto this card, along with their addresses. Do with them what you will," Clench explained, and Megatron briefly thought he saw Clench wink through a shattered optic. "Now, how about we celebrate, eh? My treat, for bringing in such a crowd!"

"Celebrate?" Megatron replied, raising an optic ridge quizzically.

"Of course! Say…did you ever find the bar Starlight works at? How about I take you there, hm? Very exclusive place," he whispered in Megatron's audio components. Megatron nodded, casting a glance at the ecstatic twins who were building a large pile of the least-damaged parts.

"Rumble, Frenzy, go and sell those parts for me. I have business to attend to with Clench," he bellowed, then followed after the purple and black gladiator.

Briefly, they stopped to allow the Constructicons to repair Megatron's wounds; all were surprised by how little serious damage had been done to him. External damage mostly, giving him the appearance of being battered and bruised, but inside not a circuit was out of place. Clench made up his mind at that point to pit Megatron against some more worthy opponents next time - a fight where the victor did not at least lose a limb was not likely to sell twice. With his armour polished and the dents bent back out, Clench and Megatron made their way out of the arena and into the busy night streets. By now, the spectators had all left to enjoy the sleazy offerings of the Kaon underworld.

Into the red-light district, and Megatron felt uncomfortable upon finding how different it was at night; whores called out to you at every few steps, pimps handing out flyers and business cards to anyone that would take one, neon signs glittering through the darkness promising fantasies fulfilled, femmes, mechs, neutrals, fliers, dancers, bondage, and anything else that one could care to want. Clench seemed to revel in it, blowing kisses to some of his favourite prostitutes and greeting pimps every now and then that he'd done business with.

In contrast, Megatron was not at ease here at all, and kept his optics to the ground, ignoring the calls coming from all sides of him. There was something, he thought to himself, that disturbed him about seeing all the mechs and femmes selling themselves, and for a moment he wondered if he was not doing the same thing as a gladiator - selling his body to be beaten up, abused and fought against for the entertainment of others. His spark seemed to rage against the injustice of the underworld in Kaon - all the lower class denizens, the "degenerate scum" as the senator had called the miners, gathered into one city selling anything and everything they could just to scrape a living and feed themselves, while officials and governments doing _nothing_ were paid thousands every cycle, nestled comfortably in their little skyscraper apartments reaching to the stars.

Megatron was wrenched out of his thoughts by Clench, who smacked a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Here it is, Megatron!" he grinned, then turned to the bouncer, flashing a small data pad, "two please. How's Starlight doin' tonight?"

"Heh heh…just finished the third dance, she's back in the dressing rooms getting ready for the grand finale of the night," the bouncer squawked. Megatron shot him a distasteful glance - the mech practically oozed grease, and was covered in dirt from head to toe like the rest of the place.

Clench pulled Megatron inside; fortunately, the bar was much cleaner inside than out. A small, red femme was dancing clumsily on a stage in the centre of the room, with a catwalk leading back into a dressing room. On the far side was a bar, with various lethal looking cocktails stacked up behind it. The purple and black gladiator had been right to call it exclusive - the mechs sitting and watching the femme all looked vaguely well-off, and the bar was small and cramped with few seats. Megatron supposed it would be rude to ask how much Clench had paid to get in here.

Suddenly, the femme tripped on her heels and fell flat on her face - not turbines, like Starscream's, so serving no everyday purpose it was obvious she was not used to the height they gave her. Megatron winced, feeling bad for her. She was not particularly good looking as it was. The other mechs, including Clench, laughed, smacking their hands against their knees and mockingly raising their energon in toast. Clench pulled Megatron down into a seat near the front of the stage and waited for Starlight as the red femme stumbled back into the dressing room in embarrassment.

Some of the drunk mechs began to boo and chant "Starlight, Starlight!" repeatedly. "Best part of the show, the finale," Clench said, hailing the bartender to bring him his usual cocktail of energon and candied petrol, "got here just in time. She'll be out soon." Megatron gave him a curious look from the corner of his optics as the bartender arrived - 'she'? Didn't Clench know that Starlight was a mech?

He did not have time to ask as the lights suddenly dimmed. Foreign music began to play, enchanting and enticing, blaring loudly over the audio systems; vaguely, Megatron recognized it as being from Vos. Typical of Starlight, he supposed, since that was where the flier academy used to be.

The curtains to the dressing room were parted ever so slightly, and in time to the music peeked out a delicate blue hand, waving shyly in time to the music at the crowd. The small audience cheered loudly, and Megatron was reminded again of the similarity of the gladiator ring to this strip-club. Then, came a long, white leg, beautiful and feminine, with blue turbine heels, stretched outwards lazily, swaying and swinging to the slow, moody music.

Suddenly, the song flared, and the curtains were ripped open in time with it; there stood Starlight, for all the bar to drool over. He cast a haughty look around at his spectators as Megatron gasped slightly; a grey, exotic face, so similar yet so different to Skylight and Thunderlight. Fire red paint, glowing white, glinting blues. Almond shaped eyes, pointed nose, and pouting lips - he noticed through the atmospheric lighting that the lips had been painted a deep scarlet, eyes shaded with darker greys edging on black. No wonder Clench had mistaken Starlight for a femme with a face and body like that - delicate, androgynous hips, swaying gently to the beat blasting over the stereo, wings spread wide and proudly.

Arrogantly, Starlight skipped down the catwalk to the stage in the centre of the bar, relishing the hungry stares focused intently on him. He blew a kiss to some of the more familiar customers - including Clench, Megatron noted with some resentment - and began to encourage the audience to clap along with the beat of the music from Vos. All except Megatron and the barkeeper joined in, and Starlight rewarded them with a dazzling smile, beginning to spin and gyrate on the stage as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Megatron's intakes hitched, his cooling systems whining into gear, his spark thrashing against its casing; this, he thought to himself, was nothing like the gladiator ring. This was _art_, living, breathing, moving and dancing, so alive and young and _vibrant_ against all the sleaze and grime of Kaon, against the sickness of the dancer's two invalid brothers. Starlight held his arms above his head, clinging onto a bar on the ceiling, swinging around playfully and kicking his legs seductively, becoming more rapid in his movements as the song sped up in pace. He seemed to spot Megatron for a moment, and there was a brief flash of recognition and surprise on his painted faceplates - then, slipping back into character, he winked at the silver gladiator, wiggling his torso at him teasingly. Megatron gulped.

Faster, faster still; peeking over his wings to smile invitingly at whichever helpless audience member he chose as his prey, limbs perfect in all of their movements, spinning round and round and round on his heels, co-ordinated and calculated. Megatron stifled a slight groan - his circuits were heating up far too much for his liking, and from the rising temperatures in the room he was not the only mech having trouble keeping control of himself. Azure hands drifted over a yellow cockpit, shining wickedly in the stage lights, moving lower to tug playfully at the red plating around his hips, rubbing over perfect thighs and an incredible aft.

Starlight drifted his hands upwards over his cockpit once more, then up to his audio units, cupping them with his hands as if he had not heard something and was straining to listen. The audience began to cheer and chant at him, and Starlight flicked his hands upwards to get them to scream louder still. One mech overloaded right there and then, to the displeasure of the person sitting next to him, and Starlight laughed soundlessly with puckered red lips in a perfect smile. Slowly, gently, as the music slowed and ground down just as Starlight kneeled downwards on the stage, he opened his cockpit, the glass peeling back inside his armour. There, exposed, bright wires and an even brighter spark casing, _just_ out of reach, _just_ covered, and the audience whooped and clapped.

Abruptly, the music stopped, and Starlight took a bow and blew a kiss. Megatron sat, slightly bewildered and disappointed at the sudden ending, but he disguised it quickly since he did not want Clench to realize he had never been to one of these shows in all his millennia. He kept his optics on Starlight - noticing that, as the lights faded, so did the cheerful, bubbly persona of the dancer, and red optics tightened, scarlet lips curling upwards in disgust; the _real_ Starlight returned. He disappeared down the catwalk and behind the curtain.

"Pretty spectacular, eh?" Clench said, digging an elbow into Megatron's side as the clumsy red femme returned on stage, and Megatron nodded in agreement. Clench downed his energon in one gulp to cool himself down. "Anyway, that's it for the night, unless you wanna watch this amateur." The two got up and left the bar. Outside, they shook hands and left their separate ways - or Megatron pretended to, at least. He ducked into a side alley (at the end of which, a couple were interfacing noisily, though he tried to ignore it as best he could), and watched and waited until Clench was well out of sight.

Slipping back out of the alley, he walked around to the back of the bar where the stage door was, and waited for Starlight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"What the slag do you think you're playing at?" came the snarling voice of Starlight, and Megatron turned to face him lazily.

"Good morning to you too," he chuckled. Starlight stood in front of the backstage door, cloak draped around him but not yet covering his face. Around his neck, Megatron noticed a chain with a strange, purple emblem dangling from it. In his fingers was a long metal cylinder - a cigarette - which he moved up to his mouth (paint now removed) and took a long drag from. He huffed the smoke back out from his vents furiously.

"What are you, my stalker now?" he spat. Megatron did not reply, eyeing the cigarette.

"Since when can you afford to smoke?" replied the gladiator sarcastically. Starlight blinked his narrow optics, then took another drag from the metal tube.

"Stole it from one of the other dancers," snapped Starlight. "I don't have time for this." He raised his hood over his head, mouth still uncovered just enough that he could take a puff from the cigarette without setting his cloak on fire. Megatron followed close behind.

"I was invited by Clench, you know," he stated, trying to keep the apologetic tone out of his voice. "Treat for winning my match tonight. Brought in quite a crowd." Starlight did not reply, except for a hiss of smoke slipping out of his lip components. "I think I raised enough to buy some more energon for your brothers if you - "

"I _don't need_ your charity!" Starlight yelled, spinning around to face the gladiator and pointing an accusatory finger up at him. "I've been working my aft off for months and I've managed just fine! Don't you try and shove your 'pity' onto me! I can take care of my family all by myself!" Megatron raised his hands, half defensively, half submissively. The dancer sucked at his cigarette aggressively and blew the smoke straight into the silver mech's face before turning and stalking away. The gladiator hurried to follow.

"Now I know why they call you 'Screamer'," Megatron muttered darkly, and Starlight flinched for a moment before speeding up his pace with a shriek of frustration. "For Primus' sake, stop walking off so I can apologize!" he grabbed at an exposed, blue wrist forcefully, compelling Starlight to stop and face him. Grudgingly, the dancer did so, baring his teeth viciously.

"I did not mean to insult you," Megatron said truthfully, pausing to let the words sink in. "I'll…I'll admit you're one of the most impressive mechs I've ever seen. Only a year old and you work harder than a miner, and just as ruthlessly…" He relaxed his grip on Starlight's wrist. "I understand you want to take care of your brothers. But I also understand that they're worried sick about you overworking yourself and letting your pride get in the way of your health." Starlight looked away uncomfortably. "I have no family of my own. I just want to help," finished Megatron softly.

"Thank you," Starlight mumbled. "Ah…um…apology accepted."

Megatron nodded in understanding and the two continued to walk together in silence towards their home. Around them, brothels and shops selling various illegal substances and gadgets began to close up; the neon signs flickered off and the light began to trickle in slowly from the tips of the skyscrapers. It was strangely fascinating to Megatron, and he looked around curiously - Starlight, meanwhile, stole a cautious glance at his neighbour while he was distracted by their surroundings. The gladiator was much, much larger and bulkier than the dancer, masculine and strong in all the ways Starlight was soft and streamlined. His silver shoulders were broad and powerful, and Starlight felt jealous for a moment that he was not as intimidating in his body structure and had to rely on charms and good looks.

"Where did you get that necklace?" Megatron asked suddenly, and the dancer hid it behind his cloak just as abruptly.

"It's…it's a symbol. I shouldn't wear it in public, but I can't leave it at home either," Starlight stuttered.

"Why not?" the gladiator raised an optic ridge curiously.

"It's a symbol used by a scientist, a philosopher called Shockwave. The Autobots imprisoned him centuries ago for his teachings," explained the dancer. "I've never met him or anything, but I read his book once. I found it in the library of the science academy, in the contraband section…"

"And what were his teachings? You must be a follower if you wear his emblem."

Starlight brightened and whispered excitedly. "Oh, he's wonderful…he understands just what's wrong with the government and those foul Autobots. He lived in Kaon for a long time, and he wrote all about the injustice and the poverty and the sleaze, and how we could all rise up against it if we could just stop fighting each other long enough to band together. Of course, he was going to lead a rebellion himself, he hints at it all over his book, but they captured him for high-treason before he could, so it stayed as every mech for himself in Kaon. I made the necklace myself - it's his symbol from the cover of the book, he named his faction the 'Decepticons'."

Megatron found himself being drawn in to the young mech's excitement. "Where can I find his book? I'd like to read it myself," he said quietly so that others wouldn't hear them.

"I can try and 'borrow' it from the library if you like," Starlight smirked from underneath his hood. "I have a certain leverage over one of the head scientists…I'm Skyfire's apprentice at the academy. Lovely old thing, but he's an enormous fool, completely infatuated with his precious little government. All it takes is a pout or a well placed wink and he's putty in my hands." The gladiator chuckled at just how deceptive the young dancer really was. 'Decepticon' was certainly an appropriate word for him.

"I would appreciate that," Megatron smiled down at the cloaked dancer. At this point, the two reached their apartment and went into their separate rooms and bade farewell to each other for the day - Starlight to deal with his sick brothers and Megatron to deal with the two bouncing balls of energy screaming bloody murder in his own room.

"Megatron! Megatron! We got you four hundred credits with the spare parts! We bartered for three cycles straight to get that much! Can you believe that?" Rumble squealed.

"Reward us! Reward us!" Frenzy shrieked, smacking his tiny fists at Megatron's legs. The gladiator laughed down at them.

"You've done very well," he assured them, giving them a pat on each of their helmets. "Take twenty credits and go and have fun causing havoc in Kaon." The two twins howled in happiness and bounded out into the morning as Megatron prepared to go and find the newly constructed training stadium.

As he dusted himself off, he heard a shriek from outside, and he had the acute sensation that he'd released the two mini spawns of hell onto some poor mech.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Nothing much to say here, except to warn you that it's gonna get slashier from the end of this chapter onwards. Like it? Hate it? Let me know!

* * *

The late afternoon cycles were quiet. Megatron lay on his berth thinking. Rumble and Frenzy hadn't returned yet, though he'd heard the piercing sirens of the officials screaming past through the street several times and vaguely wondered if they were after the twins. Skylight and Thunderlight had remained fast asleep since Starlight left for the science academy this morning, despite the noise outside.

Suddenly, the grate at the entrance to the apartment was moved quickly and loudly with a shriek of metal against metal, and hurried footsteps raced down the hall. Starlight threw himself into Megatron's room, intakes heaving and arms holding out a thick book - obviously old since it hadn't been digitalized - with the same purple emblem on it as his necklace.

"Made…it," panted the flier, falling against the doorframe. "Skyfire…let me borrow it…but…officials outside…spot searches…had to run," gasped Starlight.

"Come, sit and catch your breath," Megatron said gently, patting a space next to him on the old berth as he took the book from the blue hands of the flier. Hesitantly, Starlight stumbled over and collapsed down as far away from Megatron as possible. The berth gave a large whine in complaint of the extra weight, but for now it held up.

Megatron flicked through the old plastic pages, fascinated by the words covering them; it was true after all. Shockwave had written about the exact same things that had been occupying the silver gladiator's mind and more. Whole chapters were devoted to reasons why the government was corrupt, why the senate was biased against its lower classes, the dictatorship of the Autobots. He read each page several times as if making to memorize them, realizing why Starlight wore the emblem around his neck. This was something he could _believe_ in - something that could work, with careful planning and exquisite timing.

"Officials gonna be checking the bar I work at," Starlight mumbled wearily, pulling Megatron away from the pages, "no work tonight, they're trying to pretend it's a poetry reading club." The gladiator snorted - what poetry club had a stage with a pole for dancers in it? - then turned back to reading while the intakes of the flier began to wind down to normal speeds, puffing out warm breaths of air every now and then.

It was only a cycle later that Megatron finished the book and turned excitedly to Starlight to discuss it. But, to his surprise, the flier had fallen into recharge against the wall and was snoring very quietly. The silver mech couldn't blame him - it must have been the first chance for Starlight to sleep in months. He moved off the berth and onto the floor, lowering the flier gently down into a more comfortable position and covering him with his tatty cloak for warmth.

As he did so, the book fell onto the floor onto the front page and Megatron leaned to pick it up. He froze as one word caught his eye.

"Starscream," he said softly to himself, peering at the dark face of the flier asleep on his berth. On the front page was a library chart with details of everyone who had borrowed the book - the last name on it being Starscream. Starlight…Screamer…it was suddenly clear to him, and he grinned wickedly. Now it was easy to guess the names of the two brothers - take away "light" from their stage names, take away -er from their nicknames, and put them together. Skywarp and Thundercrack. Careful not to wake Starscream, he slipped into the left room to confront his brothers.

"Good evening, Skywarp. Thundercrack," he said proudly with a smug grin. Sleepy faces peered up at him from underneath the blankets, blinking in confusion until at last their optics widened in realization.

"Ohhh he's a clever one, this one!" Skywarp laughed hoarsely, coughing. "Very close, very close indeed!"

"You got my name wrong," Thunderlight said indignantly and Megatron's face fell in disappointment. "He's Skywarp. I'm Thundercrack_er_. Not Thundercrack."

"I was close enough," Megatron said, trying to regain some of his previous arrogance. "Starscream has fallen asleep in my berth, so I came in here instead."

Skywarp gasped, stifling a giggle while Thundercracker thumped him on the head gently. "What's he doing on your berth?" he asked with narrowed optics.

"Spot checks by officials tonight," Megatron explained with embarrassment, realizing the connotations of Starscream being in his berth, "he has no work tonight and sat down to catch his breath, and…well…fell asleep. He brought me this book by Shockwave - the fool has his name written right in the front."

Content, the two brothers leaned back, relaxing. "He _has_ to use his real name at the academy. Unlike down here, they check your ID chips," Thunderlight said wearily.

From outside, the sound of the grate being moved came again and all three froze, expecting to see officials come to carry out a spot check - but instead, the light footsteps of two twin terrors bounded down the corridor. Megatron relaxed as he caught sight of Rumble and Frenzy laughing together, holding a package of something suspicious looking, and dashing into the right room - and then freezing as they caught sight of the sleeping Starscream. The two backed up, wandering into the left room with confused expressions.

"Ah, there you are," Megatron said with a grin, "may I introduce you gentlemechs to Skywarp and Thundercracker. I see you have already found Starscream in our own room," he continued with a dramatic flourish of his hands.

"What's wrong with him?" Frenzy said to the two sick brothers, pointing at Megatron, and earning a smack on the head from the gladiator.

"He's all proud of himself because he figured out our names," Skywarp snorted. "What you got there, runts?"

Rumble grinned widely. "Oh-ho, we've had quite the adventure, my brother and I!" he chuckled, whipping off the covering off his little package to reveal an arm. An _arm_. The rest of the room's inhabitants froze. Not just any arm, either - the arm of an official, recognizable by the bright red Autobot emblem.

"What…where did you…" Thundercracker stuttered while Skywarp began to laugh hysterically, "oh slag. Oh _slag_ you guys. You're gonna get us all killed, aren't you?"

"Hey, it's not like we killed the guy!" Frenzy protested. "We just borrowed his arm so he'd stop shooting at us. We was just minding our own business, sipping on our candied petrol when the officer comes over and starts yelling at us for no reason! So naturally, we yelled back, and then he pulls out this laser and before y'know it we're running all around Kaon trying to get away from the guy." Megatron buried his face in his hands, groaning.

"So ten cycles later we finally corner him in an alley way, and we jump out and tear his arm off! Hah, man, the look on his face! Then we been hiding out in the underground pipes for the last two cycles trying to figure out which direction would take us home. Blessing from Primus, those pipes," Rumble beamed with pride. "No idea why he was chasing us though."

"Maybe because we're WANTED CRIMINALS?" Megatron roared at them. "Do you have _no _sense whatsoever? Where were you that they spotted you anyway?!"

Rumble and Frenzy looked at each other ashamedly. "The…what we mean is…uh…up on the fifth level of Kaon…they got fancy cafes there, boss," they mumbled. Megatron let out another roar of frustration, making Skywarp and Thundercracker wince in pity for the twins. He punched them both with one swing of his arm, knocking them flying into the right room. Then Megatron remembered Starscream was still asleep in the other room and hurried after them.

Somehow, despite all the noise, the exotic flier was still fast asleep, nestled in on himself. Megatron sighed with relief - somehow, the flier looked so small and fragile wrapped up like that. Turning his attention back to the mini mechs, he shoved them into their berth and whispered a threat that made them squeak in terror, retreating underneath the scraps of material in their box and hiding.

Starscream…the gladiator stood up tall, sitting on the edge of the wobbly berth and taking a long look at him. There was something infinitely more satisfying having this view all to himself, Megatron thought wickedly, than watching the flier dance in front of other mechs, painted and acting the young, bubbly femme. He ran a finger over the closed optics delicately, feeling suddenly possessive. So handsome…the whole side of his head fit nicely into Megatron's large, cupped hand. Tentatively he lay down on the other side of the berth, pushing Starscream slightly more against the wall to make space for himself.

"Ooooo…" Rumble and Frenzy jeered, peeking their heads up over their crate. Megatron shot them a death glare, and then slammed the lid of their box shut on them. The two's muffled protests were full of curses and language Megatron was sure their creator would faint from hearing, but they were out of his way (and out of trouble) for now. There was not enough space for his large bulky body on the berth with Starscream there too - half of him was balancing precariously on it, the other off it.

Watching the sleeping beauty next to him, Megatron decided that it would be worth the discomfort…for one night at least.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Starscream sighed in content, keeping his optics squeezed shut firmly. Such a rare feeling, the feeling of being rested andC recharged, a good night's sleep for the first time in over 234 megacycles. In his bed…safe and warm, worries pushed at the back of his processor…that soothing snoring coming from right next to him, the warm armour he could feel against his fingers…

…warm armour? Snoring?

The flier opened his optics abruptly and bolted upright into a sitting position, looking around frantically. The same concrete walls as his room, but where on earth was he? Next to him was…oh. _Now_ he remembered. There was Megatron, snoring gently with his huge frame acting as a shield for Starscream, keeping him warm in the cold apartment. And there he could see the door curtains of both rooms open - Skywarp and Thundercracker were fast asleep under their blankets. Good. But why was he in Megatron's berth?

He rubbed at his optics sleepily, trying to ease some memory into his mind of how he got here. Ah yes…he had come home from the science academy with the book and sat down to catch his breath, and must have fallen asleep. Starscream sighed with relief - he hadn't done anything that he regretted. Yet. Checking his chronometer, he realized he had only been asleep for five cycles - not long in any other mech's terms, but to someone that had been living off half a cycle of recharge a day, it meant forever.

Slowly, he lay back down, cautious so as not to wake or startle the gladiator next to him. Though he could defend himself and fight well, Megatron was a gladiator, and a heavyweight at that. Startling the giant would not end well at such close quarters. The silver mech sighed in his sleep, shuffling slightly further onto the berth, and Starscream only then noticed how uncomfortable Megatron's position looked, hanging half on, half off the bed. He squeezed himself against the wall as best he could with his wings in the way, and very gently eased the gladiator further onto the berth.

They were so close now, and Starscream's intakes hitched slightly. The only other mechs he'd been this near to were his brothers when they used to share a berth together, and Clench when he was overcharged on energon and particularly bawdy (the sleazy bastard). Yet, somehow, there was something very comforting about having someone so large lying next to him, and he realized the nagging feeling at the edge of his spark was a sense of safety - something he had not felt for a long, long time. Ah, those big arms he had admired only yesterday…the same arms that had crushed and killed those three gladiators on the transmission one of the junior scientists had been watching…Starscream felt perversely excited by being so near the deadly limbs, the hands that could choke him to death in seconds.

Without even realizing he was doing so, Starscream snuggled closer to the source of heat lying next to him. Megatron shuffled slightly in his sleep, flinging an arm over the flier's waist. The smaller mech flinched, unused to physical contact of any sort - then relaxed as he found that the weight of the bulky arm was actually quite comforting.

Then he froze again. "…How long have you been awake?" he whispered in his rasping voice, and Megatron opened his optics slightly.

"Since you lay back down," Megatron replied with an impish grin, "…_Starscream_." The named mech opened his almond optics wide in horror.

"What…how did - "

"In the front of Shockwave's book," Megatron explained, closing his optics again and moving to make himself more comfortable. "After that it was easy to figure out your brothers' names. But don't worry, your names are safe with me," he whispered soothingly. Starscream grumbled, untrusting. They were silent for a long while - the flier wondered if Megatron had gone back to sleep, until suddenly the silence was broken again.

"I thought you would run away," Megatron said softly, "but you're still here in my berth."

Starscream laughed, bowing his head against the wide silver chest to muffle the noise. "It was nice and cosy and warm here," he giggled. He debated for a moment whether or not to continue, chewing at the edge of his lip component. "I…I feel safe here."

"Safe is the last word I'd call it," growled the gladiator playfully. "I could crush you right here."

"Mmm," Starscream hummed happily, "Thundercracker always did say I had messed-up tastes."

Megatron pulled back a bit, looking down into Starscream's optics with a bewildered expression. Starscream mirrored his confusion, then mumbled shyly "was it something I said?"

"No, no…just…" faltered the silver titan, "I…thought you would mind more…I didn't think a mech like you would like me holding you like this." Starscream smiled sadly, and instead of replying, snaked his feminine arms around the bulky body.

"I don't know anymore," he whispered, so quietly that Megatron wasn't sure he heard it at all. "I don't know. Everything is different lately…the officials are hunting people down…the public executions…the science academy has all these rumours flying around…I do my best to protect my brothers, but I don't know how to protect myself."

Starscream began to babble to himself incoherently, his words slipping into mumbles and jargon that vaguely reminded Megatron of the accents of mechs from Vos - Starscream's original home. He shushed the flier gently, wrapping his arms around Starscream tightly and forcefully, pressing his lips against his helmet.

"I'll protect you…" he breathed, "Let me protect you…"

The flier suddenly snapped his optics back upwards to focus intently on Megatron's own. "Please," Starscream choked frantically, "you have to do something…someone has to do _something_…I need you…I need you to be the one Shockwave couldn't be…to join Kaon together, to get rid of the Autobots, to set us all free…please…I can't do it with my brothers like they are…I beg you…" he babbled, becoming hysterical.

"Shhh," Megatron pressed Starscream closer still, aware that he was crushing the flier a little - though the way the flier was gripping on tightly to his own back, Starscream didn't seem to mind the pain at all. "I've…been thinking about it, yes. I want our freedom as much as you, Starscream…but these things do not happen overnight. They take planning. They take skill. They take preparation." He moved his fingers up to the flier's chin, tilting the dark face upwards near to his own. Moving closer, he whispered hoarsely, optics dark with something Starscream couldn't quite place, "I promise you…I'll set you free. I'll set all of us free."

The smaller mech seemed to melt into his hold suddenly, closing his optics and sighing deeply out of his air vents, mumbling. Knowing only a few words of slang from Vos, Megatron thought he recognized a 'thank you' or a 'Primus bless you' in the mumbles, and kissed Starscream's helmet in reply. The flier looked back up towards him, eyes glittering with hope and admiration - then leaned forward, and pressed his lips against Megatron's.

That same, possessive monster surfaced again in Megatron, and he crushed the seeker back into his hold, refusing to allow the kiss to be broken now that he had obtained it. Starscream seemed to be the same - a darker, more violent side to him, mad and irrational, clawing at his back with blue fingers and biting at Megatron's lips, both mechs struggling against each other passionately.

Then the kiss was broken, and the two both gasped for air, intakes reeling and air vents shrieking. Starscream sat up suddenly, tugging at the large hands of the gladiator to make him sit up too.

"I think," gasped the flier with a seductive smile, "that it is your turn to wear this now." He lifted the chain from around his neck with the Decepticon emblem hanging from it, and placed it over Megatron's head, letting it fall against the broad, silver chest. "_The future leader…of the Decepticons_," he whispered, eyes full of hope.

Megatron smiled down at him arrogantly, but then his face fell slightly. "I…I want you to fight alongside me, Starscream, but…"

"But what?" Starscream squeaked, optics wide.

"You're right. Things _are_ becoming more dangerous. Rumble and Frenzy, they…they stole an arm from an official today. We're wanted mechs, for murder…and if they find out we're followers of Shockwave's teachings, we'll be executed for high treason. It isn't safe for us to say in one place for too long…and it is the same for you and your brothers," he sighed. "I fear you and I will be separated before long."

Starscream looked up at him sadly. "Even if we are separated…" he began slowly, tugging at the chain around Megatron's neck, "we'll find each other again, after you have taken over Kaon. I'll go into hiding, and watch your matches from far away, and then when the time is right, come and look for me. I'll fight with you."

Megatron nodded, pulling Starscream down to lie again with him. With one hand he stroked the flier's wings, causing the smaller mech to tremble, and with the other played with the necklace Starscream had placed on him. He chided himself for thinking something so weak, but couldn't help toying with the idea that it was a rather romantic symbol of their promise to each other, 'chained' together by destiny. Soon the idea was shrugged off, however - he needed to be firm, strong, disciplined, if he was ever going to keep his side of the promise.

"Don't…don't tell Clench about this," Starscream murmured suddenly. "He's always trying to get me to do more than dance for him…but I would never give in to a coward like that." The flier huffed his chest out proudly, smirking. "I have to be won."

"Hnnn," Megatron replied, darkening. He pulled Starscream against him, pressing their lip components together roughly into another bruising kiss. Through the exquisite sensations, he seethed inwardly - yet another reason that Clench had to be disposed of, and soon. The selfish, greedy ring leader of the gladiators could have been a useful ally, but with him threatening Megatron's chance to build a relationship of Starscream, he allowed the darker, possessive side of himself to place Clench at the top of his hit-list. Starscream, meanwhile, was giggling up into the violent kiss, and Megatron wondered for a moment if the flier wasn't a bit off-kilter in his processors (or at least a masochist of some sort).

"Checkmate," Megatron grinned roguishly, and Starscream curled closer against him adoringly for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Just a note to say that I do _not_ take requests for whole stories, since I was asked about it. I don't have time and I'm no good with other people's ideas, and besides that most of the female characters from Transformers are annoying (gets shot for that) so I prefer to write slash/slash-fluff when it comes to this fandom.

* * *

When Megatron woke, Starscream was nowhere to be found. For a moment, he wondered if it had all been a dream, until he felt the weight of the Decepticon emblem on his chest and the chain around his neck. His lip components were sore from the vicious kisses of the night, and he could feel dents in his back where blue hands had dug into his armour. Checking his chronometer he supposed Starscream must have left to go to work at the science academy, and cursed to himself when he realized he was supposed to have been at the training halls over a cycle ago.

"Go back to sleep, boss," grunted a discontent voice. Megatron rubbed his optics, looking up to see Rumble and Frenzy sitting with sour expressions on their faces.

"Training halls…" Megatron mumbled, stretching the kinks out of his mechanical joints. "I'm late…"

"Don't bother, they didn't get the training halls built in time," Rumble drawled with a deep sigh. "We went out before you and your little 'girlfriend' were even up this morning." Megatron gave him a long glare as a warning not to provoke him, and Rumble quickly moved on. "Everywhere is teeming with officials, some kind of crazy crackdown going on. Saw one of the constructicons getting chased by _ten_ cops! Ten!"

"We can't go anywhere today," Frenzy sighed, leaning his head on the side of his crate, "it's completely dead out there except for the sirens and coppers running around like wackos."

"What about Starscream?" Megatron grunted, voice impassive.

"Eh, he'll be alright out there," Rumble waved him off, "got all the right ID chips, official datapads to prove he works at the science academy and slag."

Megatron gave a soft hum of discontent, lying back down on the rattling berth. Now that he concentrated and the haze that followed recharge had worn off, he could hear sirens blaring past the building and in the distance despite the apartment being underground. There was a scream or shout now and then, and though he was curious to see what was going on outside he knew it was safer to stay indoors. Couldn't be helped, he thought angrily, and wondered if his prediction that he would be separated from the three fliers was going to come true much sooner than he had expected. He got up again, heading towards the entrance of the underground apartment to try and disguise the grill covering it so that the officials wouldn't notice the steps leading downwards.

As he ascended the stairs, he suddenly heard the familiar click-clacking of turbine heels, running fast and accompanied by a flurry of flier. He looked up to see Starscream running into the alley, cloak askew and face bared in the daylight for once.

"Get in, get in!" hissed Starscream, pushing him back down the stairs. Quickly Megatron did so, pulling the grate across and reaching an arm through the bars to put an old rubbish bag on top of it. Starscream tugged on his arms, pulling him back inside, then the flier rushed over to the flickering light in the corridor and turned it off.

"What's going on?" Megatron demanded, optics glowing fiercely in the darkness. Two sets of bleary optics lit up from the darkness of the left room, and Rumble and Frenzy's visors peeked out from the right room.

"The science academy's been shut down! They're demolishing it today!" whispered the flier, collapsing against the wall to catch his breath. "Some of the scientists are in there protesting but they're saying they're going to go ahead and bulldoze it even with them in there. There are officials _everywhere_ today! I asked them what was going on and they tried to arrest me, but I got away. Sucker couldn't fly like I can."

Megatron narrowed his optics. "You didn't…"

"Yes. He's dead now," Starscream said coolly, and Megatron shivered slightly at the almost blasé tone of the flier. Only a year old, and already murdering without second thought.

"Why are we hiding?" Skywarp croaked drowsily through the darkness.

"They…" Starscream faltered for a moment, "they're looking for the other scientists. And the miners that escaped," he shot an accusing glare at Megatron and the two mini mechs, "_and_ all of the gladiators - Clench is their top priority, but knowing that slagger he'll buy his way out of it easy enough."

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion boomed outside, rocking the underground apartment, accompanied by shrieks and screams. The three fliers whimpered, Starscream falling against Megatron for protection. In a bizarre moment of clarity Megatron felt strangely pleased that Starscream had turned to him for protection in the panic. Rumble and Frenzy hugged each other close, while Skywarp and Thundercracker disappeared underneath their blankets. The voices of officials and their blaring comm.-links were clearly audible now.

"We're not safe here," Megatron growled, gripping the flier possessively.

"We can't get away either!" Frenzy hissed. "They're right outside! They'll recognize you as a gladiator instantly, you're _huge_ boss! They're probably looking for Starscream too. Way to go killing that guy, idiot," Frenzy stuck out his tongue at the flier, though this wasn't seen since the lights were out.

"Shut the slag up, I'm not the one that ripped an arm off an official and left him alive!" snapped Starscream.

"Skywarp and Thundercracker are the only ones that haven't done anything," Megatron said pensively. The two poked their heads up from under the blankets.

"Ah…well…you see," Thundercracker mumbled, "actually we're wanted too…we were chosen to be remoulded after the flier academy in Vos was shut down. They deemed all the elite fliers 'too dangerous' to stay as they were." Megatron let out a noise of frustration. "Hey, what were we supposed to do?! I didn't want my wings ripped off and reassigned as a factory worker!"

"And Starscream had only just come off the assembly line - someone needed to teach him the basics of being a flier!" Skywarp added supportively. "Anyway, there's no chance of us two getting away from here. Our legs won't work, the energon lines are clogged up, and we're too weak to fly."

"What if we wait until night?" Rumble suggested. "We could all work together to carry you guys somewhere safe."

"They could find us here before then," Megatron grumbled. "Nothing else for it, though. We've got to wait for them to move away, then get out and get somewhere safe as quickly as we can. In the meantime, I suggest we protect ourselves from being blown up. Starscream, help me get Thundercracker and Skywarp underneath their berth, we can cover them with their blankets. Rumble and Frenzy, get in your crate and close the lid. It should be strong enough to withstand any falling debris. Starscream, after we've moved your brothers we'll hide under my berth."

Starscream nodded, beaming up at him. It took a lot of complaining from his older brothers and many pauses to be quiet so that officials wouldn't suspect anyone was down here, but at last, the two were tucked up under their berth and Starscream followed Megatron into the right room.

"Thank you," Starscream whispered up at him as he snuck under the berth. Megatron merely snorted, pushing the flier roughly and further against the wall so that he was protected by the gladiator's large body. The flier pulled him closer inwards, curling himself around him.

"Is this really the time?" Megatron chuckled.

"We could be dead in a few hours," Starscream said, far too calmly for the gladiator's liking, "so yes. It is." Megatron smiled sadly, though neither could see the other's face in the darkness save their glowing red optics. Guided by the larger mech's optics, Starscream leant forward and kissed him. It was uncomfortable and awkward in the tight space under the berth, causing Megatron to push against him slightly too much.

"You don't even _know_ how to be gentle, do you?" laughed the flier quietly.

Megatron replied by grabbing the dark face of the flier and wrenching it into a searing kiss. "You like it that way," Megatron said breathlessly in a playful snarl when at last the kiss was broken. He nuzzled his face against Starscream's, teeth grazing against the metal skin. "Besides, I'm a gladiator, and before that I was a miner. I've never had the luxury of big brothers to gently baby me around."

"Mmm…" Starscream sighed, blowing a soft puff of warm air out his vents. Slowly, he traced a blue finger up and down Megatron's body, mapping out limbs and joints in the darkness. The gladiator shivered at the gentle touch; it was strange and foreign after so many millennia down in the blood-soaked mines. He closed his optics, shuffling himself closer still to the small, feminine body of Starscream, pretending in his mind that it was the only thing that existed in the whole of Cybertron.

Light kisses danced over him everywhere that the pouting lips of the flier could reach, and his spark lurched in its casing, begging for more. He began to return the kisses and touches - not as gently, and clumsy with his large hands made for grappling rather than massaging - before the flier began to giggle and squeal. Rougher now, he began to dig his fingers into joints and breaks in the smooth armour, making Starscream moan a bit too loudly. Shushing him with a soft chuckle, he pressed their lips together again to allow Starscream to moan into his mouth instead, muffling the noise.

Another explosion rocked the ground behind the walls, and they froze for a moment, pressing themselves against each other fearfully. For a moment, they stared up at the berth covering them - it creaked precariously, but it seemed for now they were safe again. Frantically, the two at once threw themselves back into fondling each other, more fervent and passionate now, almost desperate. Starscream was right - this could very well be the last chance they would ever have, though inwardly Megatron had the arrogant feeling that a tiny explosion could not kill him, that he would start a war against the Autobots just to keep Starscream _his_.

He pulled away for a moment. "If we survive," he panted, "if we survive we'll have to go into hiding…our separate ways. When the time comes for me to make my move, and I look for you, I need to know that you're alive."

"Then…bond with me," came the shy reply. "You'll feel it, if I die. Even…even if we're separated, we'll still be with each other, if we bond."

"Are you certain?" Megatron grunted, holding Starscream's chin firmly. "Do you really want to be my bondmate, joined to someone so much older than you?"

Starscream nodded insistently. "I'm not a sparkling. I came off the assembly line a young adult. I know what I'm doing, and…" he faltered, "and it's now or never." Then came a wide, wicked smile, just visible from the reflection of their red optics, on Starscream's dental plates. "Besides, I don't want to die a virgin."

Megatron allowed himself to bark a loud laugh at that, slamming Starscream back against him into a bruising kiss, the darker, possessive side of his processor rejoicing. Their cooling intakes reeling in the enclosed space, the two opened their chest plating to reveal their spark chambers without hesitation, and being so close together almost immediately slipped into the sweet oblivion of their merge.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

This is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue after this, so it's not quite finished yet ;) thank you again for the reviews!

* * *

First there was only darkness, and in their inexperience Megatron wondered if they were dead.

Then came the overwhelming tidal wave of the other's consciousness, bright and jarring, beautiful and hideous at once. Nothing was hidden, nothing was unexposed to the other, and Megatron sank into Starscream's spark, feeling his own swirling around the smaller mech's life force. He could feel Starscream beginning the frantic journey to see all of the gladiator's memories over his long lifespan. In contrast, Megatron allowed himself to sift leisurely through Starscream's young spark, being that there was less to see.

_The final masterpiece of Vos_…_the last of the elite, flight-capable Cybertronians_…the words washed over Megatron, whispered and hushed, and looking through Starscream's optics he found himself looking up at two blurred mechs - Starscream's creators. The frequency of Starscream's optics adjusted themselves, the creators becoming clearer. Behind them were Skywarp and Thundercracker, looking on in fascination at their newly completed brother.

Before he could take a good look at the creators, the memory slipped away like liquid - now he was running, stumbling over his new heels and unsure of how to walk just yet - Starscream looked behind to see the factory he had been born in explode in flames, shrapnel flying everywhere and his audio components shrieking from the noise. Megatron recognized the factory immediately - the most famous factory in Vos, known mostly for creating new bodies for rich Autobots, each one costing _millions_ of credits. Thundercracker was trying to get Starscream to hurry, something about a safe distance away to fly, Skywarp arguing with Thundercracker over whether or not he could warp all three of them at once. Then, each brother took one of Starscream's arms and took off.

The scene changed again - the same landlady Rumble and Frenzy had introduced Megatron to when they first arrived in Kaon. The landlady was commenting on how beautiful Starscream was - almost like a femme, all sleek curves and aerodynamics. The gladiator felt Starscream's bewilderment through the bond - only two decacycles after being put online for the first time, moving from Vos to Kaon in the space of cycles, with no idea how to walk properly on turbine heels and nothing to trust in but the two mechs next to him that called themselves his brothers.

His spark lurched as the memory shifted into another - Skywarp and Thundercracker, out cold on the floor. Then flying to the hospital, struggling with the weight of the two of them. The nurse at the front desk told Starscream to get lost if he didn't have the entrance deposit of 200 credits - for _each_ of his brothers - and Megatron felt the sudden twisted change wash over his spark.

Suddenly, Kaon seemed darker. Starscream had never been raised as a sparkling, starting as a full adult instead - he had not had time to develop his personality components, being thrust instead into the dark adult underworld. It seemed to come gradually, building and building and tugging and pulling at his own spark, feeling like megacycles when in reality it had only been nanokliks - the realization of just what kind of mech Starscream really was. Despite his fragile looks, the flier's personality was not delicate, but razor sharp and full of thorns and needles. There was something disgusting, something ugly, something twisted about the spark Megatron was now bonded to - and it was _delicious_. The remorselessness, the cruelty, the calculating, cold lines of programming infected his own life source, and he welcomed it dearly, to see the world as Starscream had learnt it to be.

The first mech Starscream had killed was an old, rusty Autobot that had tried to touch his wings - so sensitive to physical contact the feeling almost made the flier purge his fuel tanks onto the pavement. Without hesitation - like a seasoned gladiator - the mech had hit the ground in seconds, energon spilling over Starscream's immaculately clean feet. Megatron could almost laugh, feeling giddy in the bloodshed, suddenly taking joy in his own murders both in and out the battle ring - it was no wonder Shockwave's teachings had drawn Starscream in so far. It seemed to make so much _sense_ now, to be so clear - peace through devastation.

Without warning Megatron suddenly found himself ripped out of their merge, Starscream living up to his name with an audio-shattering howl.

Dazed, the gladiator tried to pull Starscream back towards him, optics blurred and crackling, processor dizzy. Then he realized - his sensors were blaring at him, emergency warnings screaming damage reports at him, shrapnel stuck between his plating and a rather large piece of concrete crushing his foot.

"What happened?" he slurred.

"Explosion," Starscream whispered hysterically, "bomb, they threw in a bomb!" The flier began to laugh nervously, optics wide and bewildered. Megatron suddenly found that the feelings were mirrored in his own mind, the bond now firmly established between them. Slowly, he attempted to send out a pulse of reassurance to the smaller mech, a sense of safety - and gradually, the laughs died down into scared hiccups.

Megatron squeezed his way out from underneath the berth and looked around - the officials had thrown in explosives from down the corridor. A ridiculous thing to do, Megatron thought, if they were trying to get the residents of the underground apartment alive, since now the narrow corridor had collapsed in on itself. Outside, Megatron could hear officials swearing and cursing, trying to move away the debris and reach the criminals inside. The wall between the two rooms had collapsed - Starscream would be pleased to know that the left room hadn't been damaged too much, and Thundercracker and Skywarp were peering out from under the blankets, looking shell-shocked. A large slab of concrete had fallen from the ceiling onto Rumble and Frenzy's crate, and looking upwards, Megatron saw that there was a gaping hole there up into the landlady's shop. Quickly he shoved the concrete away, opening up the box to find Rumble and Frenzy holding tightly onto each other in fear.

"Boss, what the slag happened?" Rumble wailed. Megatron put a finger to his mouth, jerking his head to indicate that officials were still outside looking for them.

"I need you and Frenzy to get up into the landlady's shop," Megatron whispered resolutely, a dangerous glint in his optics. "You're small, keep hidden. Tell me if the coast is clear. We need to get the fliers up there and get out of here."

He lifted the two tiny mechs into his hands and stood on the crate, pushing them upwards into the hole in the ceiling. Rumble crept into the room while Frenzy stood nearer to the hole. Rumble looked to Frenzy, and then Frenzy peered down at Megatron, nodding. "So far, so good," he whispered down into the wreckage.

Megatron then turned his attention back to the fliers. Roughly, he yanked Starscream out from under the bed, pulling Starscream over the collapsed wall and into the left room. Experimentally he focused on his bond with the flier, trying to communicate his plan to Starscream through it, and he was pleased when the youngest mech seemed to understand, following him wordlessly over to the berth Thundercracker and Skywarp were underneath. Carefully, Megatron pulled Thundercracker out from underneath the bed, Starscream pulling Skywarp out just as gently. The two looked up at their rescuers with wide, worried optics, nerves still shot from the explosion.

With some effort they managed to drag them over to where the ceiling had broken, with Rumble and Frenzy peeking down from the edge. Careful not to make a sound, Megatron hoisted Thundercracker up onto his shoulders as he had done before in the gladiatorial ring, as Starscream grabbed Skywarp and ignited the turbines in his heels. He flew up into the room easily, depositing Skywarp down onto the ground before lowering himself back down to collect Thundercracker in the same way.

"Can you really fly the boss up?" Rumble said doubtfully, and Starscream peered down worriedly.

"Only if you two help me. Stand on the crate and lift up your arms," he called down, and Megatron did so. Reaching down to grab one of Megatron's hands, the two mini mechs grabbed the other hand. Starscream ignited his turbines again, shifting them into reverse. The three all heaved together to pull Megatron up over the edge, and though it crumbled slightly under his weight Megatron was hauled over it. Starscream stopped his flight engines slightly too late and the four were catapulted into a wall. The two mini mechs groaned while Starscream clutched the gladiator protectively. The voices of the officials were growing closer, louder.

_This is it_, Megatron sighed over their bond. _You have to go with Skywarp and Thundercracker now._

Starscream looked into his optics fearfully. _I can't! I can't fly with the both of them! _

_You did before,_ hissed the gladiator. _Remember? When you took them to the hospital the first time? You were desperate then, and you managed. The situation is just as desperate now. Take them and hide. _

The flier whimpered, but gulped and nodded his head. Starscream pulled in Megatron for one last searing kiss, crushing their lips together, and the gladiator responded gladly, biting and sucking violently even though the two mini mechs were watching in shock. Then Starscream stood up to his full height, grabbing Thundercracker in one arm and Skywarp in the other.

He gave one last wistful look towards Megatron, then without a word, ignited all of his engines and hurtled through the front of the shop into the night sky.


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

Megatron sat patiently as the Constructicons repaired him, Soundwave standing silently by his side. Rumble and Frenzy were around the arena somewhere, probably irritating Long Haul. Clench was dead - murdered - and the silver heavyweight had been working on staging some spectacular matches, letting a natural showmanship he'd never even realized he'd had before shine through. Unlike the previous ring leader of the gladiators, these matches were designed to bring in crowds, and with them, credits - not for Megatron's luxury, but to begin purchasing weapons. Badges. Soldiers. Armies.

"Soundwave," he drawled leisurely as Hook repaired his arm, "what cycle is it? My chronometer was smashed up in that last brawl."

"Afternoon Cycle Three," droned the blue mech. Megatron nodded, satisfied. One more cycle until he could expect the familiar question in his spark. Starscream was always on time, he'd give his bondmate that - always exactly on the first nanoklik of cycle four, the words would echo around his spark in a sing-song tone, and every time, he would answer it the same way.

_Soon_.

Some days, it would annoy him, and he wouldn't reply at all. But today, _today_ was different. It was time. He allowed himself a small smile, though inwardly he was giddy with excitement and couldn't wait to see what Starscream's reaction would be.

The nanokliks rolled by. Hook cursed, Mixmaster moaned, Scrapper yelled, and between them eventually Megatron was repaired. Last came his chronometer, being inessential to his health, and Scavenger toyed with various parts he'd collected, trying to match the parts on the silver mech's chronometer to the parts he had. The young constructicon at last pulled out the relevant nuts and bolts from his extensive collection of junk, and the device was repaired in minutes. The gladiator checked his newly fixed chronometer, just as it changed to cycle four.

_When? _it whispered.

_Today_, Megatron replied. A large warmth spread through his chest, Starscream's happiness mirrored in himself. He beckoned for Soundwave to come over, and the silent mech did so without hesitation.

"Soundwave. I have a task for you," he said in a low voice. "I need a flight capable combatant."

"Affirmative," came the bland reply, and Soundwave made to leave.

"Soundwave," Megatron repeated, and the blue mech turned and looked at the gladiator. The silver titan tapped his helmet, indicating Soundwave should use telepathy rather than allow the constructicons to hear their plans.

The tendrils of the other's consciousness batted at Megatron's processor. _His name is Starscream. Give him these - tell him they are a gift from Megatron, and he will come with you. _Soundwave nodded and walked towards the gladiator. Stealthily, he passed the communications expert a small package, and with that, the blue mech turned to leave.

He flicked out a few waves of telepathy as he walked through the streets of underground Kaon, hoping for a few pointers - a flier named Starscream. Logically, a flier shouldn't be too difficult to find, since they were few and far between in a dump like Kaon. But Megatron's thoughts had indicated that Starscream was in hiding. He looked down at the small package, curious as to whether the gift would give him a clue as to the whereabouts of the coveted flier.

Inside the wrappings were two cubes of medicine.

* * *

Megatron did not really need to ask Soundwave, since the link between his and his bondmate's spark was so strong and vibrant now, in much closer proximity than they'd been used to, but the gladiator was not willing to allow his underlings the knowledge that he had a bondmate. With his newfound showmanship, he set upon the display of acting that he'd rehearsed to himself a thousand times. Soundwave entered the room as Megatron sat, once again under the repair tools of Hook, and announced that he had brought Megatron a flight capable combatant.

"You found one?" he grunted.

"Negative," Soundwave droned, and Megatron looked over sharply for a moment. "I present three."

Starscream stepped forward, with Thundercracker and Skywarp at his wingtips. The two elder brothers looked towards the gladiator, knowing enough about the situation to not say anything about their previous connections with Megatron, but flickers of gratitude passed over their faces. Starscream, of course, already knew his lines for the little play Megatron had composed.

"M-Megatron," he stuttered, and inwardly the gladiator had to laugh at his bondmate's over the top acting. To add to it, he kneeled down dramatically. "I pledge my undying allegiance to you!" declared Starscream melodramatically.

Megatron kept a poker face, turning away from them with an ambiguous "hnn", but the gladiator was sure Starscream knew how happy he was to see him by the way his spark was screaming for the other's.

_Nice acting_, he chuckled inwardly.

_Like yours was any better,_ Starscream replied cockily.

The gladiator slipped out a small grin, gone as quickly as it came, but he knew that the flier had seen it. Yes, tonight their sparks would _truly_ be reunited, quietly and dignified, in stark contrast to the frantic, desperate first bonding they had achieved. Tonight, they would lose themselves in their bond again.


End file.
